The United States and its allies face increasingly capable adversaries who have benefited from the recent proliferation of military technologies and a range of geographic advantages. The Pentagon cannot roll back technology, change the map, or out-build an opponent like China, so US forces will need to gain an edge through operational creativity and leveraging the software and commercial industries that make America’s economy the world’s largest and most vibrant.The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO) leads the Department of Defense’s pursuit of an adaptable, software-defined force that can continuously evolve to stay ahead of rivals and take advantage of emerging technologies. Central to CDAO’s efforts are the Open Data and Applications Government-owned Interoperable Repositories (Open DAGIR) initiative, enterprise data analytics tools, and the Global Information Dominance Experiments (GIDE). Together, these programs enable the US military to marry operational and technological innovation.Join Hudson Senior Fellow Bryan Clark for an event with CDAO Dr. Radha Plumb, Deputy CDAO Margaret Palmieri, and defense industry representatives on CDAO’s progress in its first four years and how it can help give US forces a needed advantage against twenty-first-century opponents.This event is not sponsored by the Department of Defense.

America’s and Taiwan’s economic and security interests are fundamentally interconnected. While Taiwan is not the United States’ largest trading partner, Taiwanese-manufactured semiconductors are essential to US industry. Taiwanese companies are also investing more in US semiconductor manufacturing, advancing America’s ability to produce the most powerful semiconductors domestically. Finally, eight years of growing relations and ongoing trade and tax negotiations inspire optimism about the partnership between the two like-minded democracies.Join Hudson for a discussion on the trade and technology relationship between Washington and Taipei with US-Taiwan Business Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Senior Vice President Peter Cleveland.

The Chinese Communist Party’s successful efforts to breach American telecommunications networks, target critical infrastructure, and support a fentanyl epidemic that has now killed hundreds of thousands of Americans show that China poses a considerable threat to the United States. To overcome the threat posed by the People’s Republic of China and its axis of partners, Washington needs a strategy to counter these homeland threats in addition to a broader American grand strategy.Congressman Mark Green, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, will join Hudson’s Dr. Jonathan Ward, author of China’s Vision of Victory and The Decisive Decade: American Grand Strategy for Triumph over China. They will discuss the importance of cybersecurity, critical infrastructure defense, maritime and border security, the fentanyl crisis, and more amid America’s rising confrontation with the PRC.

The Pentagon began the Replicator Initiative in August 2023 to rapidly field and scale existing technologies to address high-priority operational problems. In the last year, Replicator 1 has put numerous aerial and naval drones into the hands of American operators. The recently announced Replicator 2 will address one of the most challenging threats to the United States and allied militaries by fielding existing counter-drone systems at scale.By tapping into commercial software and hardware production and streamlining the notoriously cumbersome acquisition process, Replicator takes advantage of America’s comparative strengths: technological innovation, adaptability, and market-driven advancement. It is also directly tackling the operational challenges facing US combatant commanders today.Join Hudson Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Dan Patt for a fireside chat with Aditi Kumar, deputy director of the Defense Innovation Unit, to discuss Replicator’s progress and its promise for the future.

Join Hudson for a discussion with renowned intellectual property experts including former United States Patent and Trademark Office Director Andrei Iancu, Dinsmore’s Brian O’Shaughnessy, and the Special Competitive Studies Project’s Rama Elluru. They will explore potential policy changes, challenges, and opportunities for the innovation and creative sectors in the new administration.

Hudson Institute’s China Center, the National Security Institute, and the International Republican Institute will cohost an event with human rights advocates and national security experts to address China’s escalating campaign of domestic and international repression.The discussion will cover China’s use of economic sanctions, surveillance, and coercion to silence critics, especially those who risk their lives and freedom to advocate for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

As 2025 approaches, the new United States presidential administration will need to define and implement a new approach to the world’s two most populous nations, India and China. As decades of US economic engagement with Communist China give way to global competition, India’s rise as an economic and military partner presents new opportunities for American grand strategy. Understanding the rivalry between Asia’s largest nations will be critical in a potentially pivotal year. Join Hudson’s Dr. Aparna Pande, author of Making India Great: The Promise of a Reluctant Global Power, and Dr. Jonathan Ward, author of The Decisive Decade: American Grand Strategy for Triumph Over China, along with South Asia expert Dr. Daniel Markey of the US Institute of Peace, for an overview of India and China in 2025.They will discuss trade and technology, each nation’s foreign policy outlook, and flashpoints both on the disputed China-India border (which spans over 2,000 miles of Himalayan territory) and in the maritime domain from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. They will also give recommendations for the incoming administration as it defines a grand strategy in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Since the October 7 attack, Israel has been engaged in a multifront war against Iran and its resistance axis proxies. While Israel has notched significant successes—neutralizing Hamas, crippling Hezbollah, and undermining Iran’s strategic posture—Jerusalem still faces substantial threats.  Join Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Director Michael Doran for a conversation with Brigadier General (res.) Amir Avivi on the Israeli military’s achievements, the evolving strategic landscape in the region, and the challenges that lie ahead. 

The United States is growing increasingly concerned over the security of Taiwan. While Taipei is not a US treaty ally, peace and stability around the island serve America’s political, security, and economic interests. But the People’s Republic of China is increasingly threatening Taiwan’s democratic political system, territorial security, and free economy.Will new administrations in Taipei and Washington deepen the nations’ relationship? Or will new challenges emerge? What does Taiwan need to boost its hard and soft powers? How can Taiwan build stronger whole-of-society resilience in areas such as food and energy security? Join Hudson experts for a discussion on these topics and more.

In 2018, President Donald Trump signed into law the National Quantum Initiative (NQI), which set aside $1.2 billion to advance quantum technology and information science.Almost six years later, the NQI reauthorization bill, which will extend federal support for this technology that promises to transform economic and national security, awaits approval by Congress and the president.Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative Arthur Herman and a panel of leading experts for a discussion on why NQI reauthorization matters to government, industry, and the economy—as well as the important changes that will come with the reauthorization process.